South Carolina women's basketball: Aliyah Boston could rewrite the Gamecock record book

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Just a few short years ago Gamecock fans watched a generational talent break school records that were previously thought untouchable. This season they’ll do it ago. A’ja Wilson rewrote the school record book during her senior season, highlighted by breaking Sheila Foster’s career-scoring mark. Now, despite two pandemic-shortened seasons, Aliyah Boston has her sights set on rewriting the records again.

She’s won every individual award there is, and the team accolades – SEC titles, Final Fours, and national championships – have followed. Boston’s 2021-22 season was one of the most dominant ever by a Gamecocks athlete. Now she has to figure out a sequel.

“Do it all again,” she said. “Why not?”

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Boston already holds several school records. She is the all-time leader in triple-doubles with two, the leader in consecutive double-doubles and double-doubles in a season. Boston set the single-season rebounding record with 462 last season, along with the record for offensive and defensive rebounds. She set the school record for field goals without a miss when she went 13-13 against NC A&T last season. 

Boston almost certainly won’t catch Wilson’s career scoring mark of 2,389. She currently has 1,460 career points and is 160 out of tenth place, a mark she should easily reach. Boston scored 623 points as a junior. If she repeats that Boston would become the fourth Gamecocks to score 2,000 career points, after Wilson, Foster, and Shannon Johnson. 

Boston will also climb into the top ten, and possibly top five, for field goals made and attempted. Last season she tied for the tenth most field goals made with 239. Boston is currently eighth in career field goal percentage at 54.2%.

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Boston is a career 277-364 from the foul line. Her 131 made free throws last season tied for the tenth most in a season. If she repeats that, she’ll end up somewhere in the top ten in career free throws made and attempted.

Rebounding is where Boston has been most dominant. As a team last season, South Carolina set school records for total rebounds, rebounding average, rebounding margin, offensive rebounds, and defensive rebounds. In most of those cases, the previous record was set in either 2020 or 2021. Boston’s first three seasons all ranked in the top ten at the time (she has bumped her freshman season out of the top ten).

Boston is only 298 total rebounds behind Foster for the school record, 55 offensive rebounds behind Aleighsa Welch, and 115 defensive rebounds behind Alaina Coates. It would take career lows in each category for Boston not to take the record. Boston is also looking to join Coates as the only two players to lead the Gamecocks in rebounding for four seasons.

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The rebounding average is where it gets a little less certain. Boston averaged 12.5 rebounds per game last season, only the third-best mark in school history, trailing Katrina Anderson’s 12.8. Twelve more rebounds and Boston would have had that record too.

Anderson also holds the school record for career rebounding average at 11.3. Boston currently sits at 11.18, just a fraction out of second place. She has a legitimate chance to pass Anderson. Boston wouldn’t have to repeat last season, but she would have to do better than her sophomore season (11.5 rpg).

Foster’s record of 72 career double-doubles seemed like the most untouchable of her unbreakable records, yet Boston should pass it by Christmas. Boston has 60 career-double-doubles, with 30 coming last year in her record-breaking campaign. Even if Boston “only” matches her freshman season output of 13, she’ll still pass Foster. 

Boston is already second in career blocks with 257, and has three of the top seven individual seasons (Wilson also has three, and somehow Elem Ibiam sneaks in at number six). Her 2.54 blocks per game trail only Wilson’s 2.63. Boston is 106 blocks behind Wilson. She’s never blocked more than 90 shots in a season, so it would take a career-best for Boston to catch Wilson, but not by much. This is where the two pandemic-shortened seasons hurt Boston. She averaged 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman and sophomore and missed out on probably ten games. Add 26 blocks to her career total and she’s only 81 (her single-season low) away from the record.

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Through her first three seasons, Boston played in and started every game – 101 games. That puts her two behind Tiffany Mitchell’s record for consecutive games started and 34 behind Mitchell’s record for total games started. If she stays healthy, Boston should break both records. She won’t break the record for games played, though, the Super Seniors have that. LeLe Grissett currently has the record with 150, and Victaria Saxton should break that. Boston also won’t break any records for minutes played, although she could end up in the career top ten.

There is one more question left: What’s a girl gotta do to get a statue?

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